Blast rocks Russian nightclub

An explosion and fire apparently caused by pyrotechnics tore through a nightclub in the Russian city of Perm early on Saturday, killing over 100 people, according to news reports.

Regional security minister Igor Orlov said the club had a suspended plastic ceiling that caught fire quickly when ignited by so-called "cold fireworks," which generally are fountain-type displays with lower temperatures than conventional fireworks, the ITAR-Tass news agency reported.

State television showed charred bodies lying in rows outside the club amid a light snowfall.

Image:In this image made from RTR Russian Channel, rescuers carry the body of a victim outside a nightclub in Perm early on Saturday, Dec. 5, 2009. (Photograph copyright AP)